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Smoked Cream Cheese with Charred Olives - J Dub By Design™

Smoked Cream Cheese with Charred Olives

★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

Description

Smoked Cream Cheese is divine.  Top the cheese with charred olives and you have next level umami.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 8 ounce block cream cheese
  • 3/4 teaspoon barbeque rub (just use your favorite)
  • 2 cups olives (I use a mix of pitted olive mix and Sicilian marinated olives from my grocery gourmet cheese section).  Use any olives you like, but I would not recommend using any olives with filling in the center, including pimento.
  • 1/4 cup chopped purple onion
  • 6 garlic cloves, smashed
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup olive oil

Instructions

  1. Place a the block of cream cheese in a smoker safe skillet.  I always use my trusty cast iron.
  2. Score the cream cheese by using a knife to draw diagonal lines across the top of the block in both directions.  This will help the cream cheese expand (but not melt) in the smoker.
  3. Sprinkle the rub over the top.
  4. Place in the smoker and make sure the temp does not rise over 170-180 degrees Fahrenheit.
  5. I leave it in the smoker for 2 hours.

Charred Olives

  1. Mix olives, purple onion, smashed garlic, lemon juice an olive oil together .
  2. You can make this ahead and let it chill in the fridge until you are ready.
  3. About 40 minutes before the cream cheese is finished smoking, preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
  4. Pour the olive mix into another cast iron skillet.
  5. Bake for 25-28 minutes until olives have a nice char on them.
  6. Remove the cream cheese from smoker.
  7. Pour the olive mixture over the cream cheese.
  8. Serve with garlic toast slices.

Garlic toast

  1. To make the garlic toast, I slice a baguette in 1/4 inch slices.
  2. ix softened butter and 3-5 cloves of roasted garlic together.
  3. Spread over the slices and bake until golden.

Notes

  • Use a barbeque rub that is low in salt (not the first ingredient).  Otherwise, when you add the olives, it will be too salty.
  • Try to keep the smoker at 170-180 degrees Fahrenheit to keep the block of cheese intact.  You only need two hours to achieve a smokey flavor.  
  • To make roasted garlic for the baguette slices, cover garlic cloves in olive oil.  Bake at 350 degrees for several hours until garlic is fork tender.
  • Allow the mixture to cool and pour the mixture into a mason jar.
  • Use the olive oil as a marinade or in salad dressings.
  • Mash the garlic cloves with butter and spread on breads.
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 2 hours 40 minutes
  • Category: appetizers
  • Cuisine: American

Find it online: https://jdubbydesign.com/smoked-cream-cheese-with-charred-olives/